BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 1091
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|Author: |Eduardo Garcia |
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|Version: |June 1, 2015 Hearing |
| |Date: July 15, 2015 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Olgalilia Ramirez |
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Subject: Student financial aid: Cal Grant Program
SUMMARY
This bill authorizes the California Student Aid Commission
(CSAC) to require verification of high school graduation to be
electronically submitted for high school graduates for the
purpose of determining financial aid eligibility, as specified
and requires the electronic submission of grade point average
information on a standardize form.
BACKGROUND
1)Existing law authorizes the Cal Grant program, administered by
the CSAC, to provide grants to financially needy students to
attend a college or university. The Cal Grant programs include
both the entitlement and the competitive Cal Grant awards. The
program consists of the Cal Grant A, Cal Grant B, and Cal
Grant C programs, and eligibility is based upon financial
need, grade point average, California residency and other
criteria. (Education Code § 69430-69433)
2)A school district is prohibited from permitting access to pupil
records without written parental consent but makes some
exceptions, as specified. Current law authorizes school
districts to release information from pupil records to
agencies or organizations in connection with the application
of a pupil for, or receipt of, financial aid. However,
information permitting the personal identification of a pupil
or his or her parents, may be disclosed only as necessary for
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the purpose to determine the eligibility of the pupil for
financial aid, to determine the amount of the financial aid,
to determine the conditions that will be imposed regarding the
financial aid, or to enforce the terms or conditions of the
financial aid. (EC § 49076)
3)Existing Law, requires grade point averages (GPAs) for Cal Grant
A and B applicants to be submitted to CSAC; requires GPAs to
include a certification by a school official that the GPA is
accurately reported; authorizes CSAC to establish grace
periods for the receipt of GPAs and corrections; and,
establishes Legislative intent that high schools and
institutions of higher education certify GPAs of students in
time to meet Cal Grant application deadlines. (EC § 69432)
4)Existing law requires a GPA for all high school seniors at public
schools to be submitted to CSAC electronically by a school or
school district official and requires a school district to
provide an opportunity for a student and/or guardian to opt
out and requires students and/or guardians to be notified of
the opportunity to opt out.
(EC § 96432.9)
ANALYSIS
This bill:
1)Authorizes the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) to
require verification of high school graduation to be
electronically submitted for high school graduates who
graduated from a public school, including charter schools, in
the prior academic year.
2)Provides for an exception to the electronic submission of high
school graduation information for students who have opted out,
as specified under current law.
3)Requires the electronic submission of grade point average
information on a standardize form.
4)Declares legislative intent that high school districts verify the
graduation of their students in time to meet the established
deadlines and that the CSAC make available to high schools or
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high school districts a list of seniors who have and have not
completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the
California Dream Act Application.
5)Establishes if the Commission on State Mandates determines that
this act contains costs mandated by the state, the state shall
reimburse the applicable entities.
STAFF COMMENTS
1)Need for the bill. According to the author, the Cal Grant process
can be improved to eliminate barriers that will help student's
better access the aid they need to attend college, and help
school districts identify students who have not completed the
FAFSA. The author asserts that many students often times
become overwhelmed in the Cal Grant process or do not have
access to internet or other resources, and fail to complete
this important step that makes the difference between whether
they attend college or not.
This bill aims to streamline the financial aid process and
increase Cal Grant and FAFSA completion rates by requiring the
electronic submission of high school graduation information.
2)Existing process for verification: According to the CSAC the
method for providing verification varies depending on the
school district. For the most part, it is the responsibility
of the school district to submit the information to CSAC;
however, if the district fails to provide the information, the
responsibility falls on the student. Generally, most
submissions are electronic, but thousands of paper forms are
submitted that have to be keyed in manually. This bill seeks
to give the CSAC the authority to create a consistent process
to collect information necessary for determining Cal Grant
eligibility.
3)Privacy rights. The federal Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act (FERPA) applies to all schools that receive
federal funding through the U.S. Department of Education and
protects the privacy of student educational records.
Generally, schools must have written permission from the
parent or eligible student in order to release any information
from a student's educational record. However, schools are
authorized to disclose records without consent to specific
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parties or under specific conditions, including to appropriate
parties in connection with financial aid to a student. This
exemption is currently used to authorize the provision of the
student's grade point average and graduation information to
California Student Aid Commission when a student is applying
for financial aid.
SUPPORT
California School Boards Association
Coachella Valley Economic Partnership
Education Trust West
OPPOSITION
None received.
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